Ohio State has its first cornerback for the 2023 class.
One day after visiting Ohio State for the Buckeyes’ spring game, four-star Florida cornerback Dijon Johnson knew he had seen enough on his visit to pull the trigger and give his verbal to OSU. He officially committed to the Buckeyes on Sunday.
hey Im a buckeye . @Hayesfawcett3 pic.twitter.com/nLduiQCspD
— Dijon Johnson (@DijonJohnson13) April 17, 2022
Johnson spent most of his time pregame chatting with his 7-on-7 teammate Bryson Rodgers, who also committed to Ohio State on Sunday, then posed for a photo after the game with Rodgers and Florida-born OSU freshman safety Kye Stokes, one of the stars of Saturday’s spring game.
The Johnson File
- Class: 2023
- Size: 6-1/190
- Pos: CB
- School: Wharton High School (Tampa, Florida)
- Composite Rating: ★★★★
- Composite Rank: 265 (29 CB)
Johnson’s Ohio State recruitment was a quick one, with the 6-foot-1, 190-pound cornerback receiving his Buckeyes offer on Jan. 25 from running backs coach Tony Alford, who handles a majority of OSU’s Florida recruiting. From his offer tweet, you could tell the recruitment would be a short one, as he called Ohio State “his dream offer.”
It may seem strange for a Florida kid to consider the Buckeyes his dream offer, but before he played cornerback, Johnson was a running back who looked up to legendary Ohio State running back Eddie George.
One visit to Columbus later, he’s become the ninth Ohio State commitment in the 2023 cycle. He’s already the fourth member of the class from the Sunshine State, with Rodgers, four-star safety Cedrick Hawkins and four-star running back Mark Fletcher already in the fold.
According to 247Sports’ composite rankings, Johnson is ranked as the 265th-best prospect and the 29th-best cornerback in the 2023 class. In 10 games for Wharton High School (Tampa, Florida) last season, Johnson racked up six interceptions, one fumble recovery, 10 pass deflections and 12 total tackles. Four of those interceptions went for touchdowns.
| Pos | Name | Rating | Rank | Size | School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OT | LUKE MONTGOMERY | ★★★★ | #43 NATL | #4 OT | 6-5 | 280 | Findlay (Findlay, OH) |
| TE | TY LOCKWOOD | ★★★★ | #101 NATL | #8 TE | 6-5 | 225 | Independence (Thompson's Station, TN) |
| IOL | JOSHUA PADILLA | ★★★★ | #136 NATL | #6 IOL | 6-4 | 265 | Wayne (Dayton, OH) |
| RB | MARK FLETCHER | ★★★★ | #153 NATL | #8 RB | 6-1 | 225 | American Heritage (Fort Lauderdale, FL) |
| S | MALIK HARTFORD | ★★★★ | #205 NATL | #20 S | 6-2.5 | 175 | Lakota West (West Chester, OH) |
| S | CEDRICK HAWKINS | ★★★★ | #235 NATL | #23 S | 6-0 | 175 | Cocoa (Cocoa, FL) |
| CB | DIJON JOHNSON | ★★★★ | #265 NATL | #29 CB | 6-1 | 190 | Wharton (Tampa, FL) |
| WR | BRYSON RODGERS | ★★★ | #367 NATL | #48 WR | 6-2 | 170 | Wiregrass Ranch (Zephyrhills, FL) |
| DL | WILL SMITH | ★★★ | #444 NATL | #57 DL | 6-3 | 260 | Dublin Coffman (Dublin, OH) |
| Prospect Rating Data: 247Sports | |||||
Ohio State would like to take at least two cornerbacks in the 2023 class, and Johnson has already locked up one of those spots. Who joins him in the Buckeyes’ cornerback class will be interesting, as five-star cornerback AJ Harris seems like he’s trending away from the Buckeyes while four-star Georgia product Kayin Lee has plenty of momentum with Ohio State at the moment. Daniel Harris, Sharif Denson, Christian Gray and Malik Muhammad are among the other cornerbacks in the class with Ohio State offers.
Johnson has received 36 Division I offers and chose Ohio State over the likes of USC, Oklahoma, Georgia, Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisville, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Penn State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M, UCF and Utah.
